Oldschool Console Rivalry: PSP vs NDS

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 09:13pm

I grew up in the Nintendo/Sega wars. I know all about manufacturer loyalty expressed in ridiculous justifications. It seemed to die after the PS thing - probably because the N64 was measurably inferior in many respects - and I'd hoped it was gone for good.

However, I picked up a DS Lite a week or so ago to provide my flatmate with a dog simulator (I don't want to live with a dog). The operation was a complete success, and I've been kind of impressed by the strange and interesting games on the platform.

Many of my friends own PSPs, which in AU at least are retardedly expensive for a handheld. I have no strong feelings one way or the other - I wouldn't buy one, since I own a PS2 and a computer and PSP seems to have mostly games I would rather play on those systems - but PSP owners seem to be the latest XBox fanwhores.

I've had to sit through mocking diatribes of the NDS's inferior hardware, hourlong rants about the 'excellent' homebrew PSP scene, the joys of watching movies on a tiny screen, and justifications for the terrible battery life. All this, all because I happen to own an NDS. What gives? Are PSPs just attractive to the loud insecure part of the population? I don't get this sort of thing for ignoring the 360 or owning a Gamecube, for instance, so why is the PSP/NDS rivallry so strong?

Archaic` · Post by **Archaic`** » 2006-09-12 09:23pm

For the same reason all the other current console rivalries seem to exist. Some people seem to have forgotten that all that really matters about games is how fun they are, or if they do realise that, that games can be fun without having the latest hyper-realistic graphics and most powerful system hardware.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 09:26pm

Well that's it: aside from Xbox fanwhores (a noisy bunch) I haven't seen anything like this in years. Have I just missed it? Have the rivalries still been going strong?

Post by **Dalton** » 2006-09-12 09:29pm

Fuck yes, man. The rivalries have always been there. The only things that have changed are the names. It's still going on, as you've well-documented. It's basically one long dick-waving contest, all the way from NES vs. Sega Master System to NDS vs. PSP.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 09:30pm

I guess I managed to miss it until I pulled out a DS during a boring boat ride. It just surprised me that people still did the 'I have to justify my purchase' thing.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-09-12 09:33pm

I can't imagine any reason why people buy movies on PSP except to justify their purchase of the damned thing. What the fuck is the appeal of paying actual money for a movie format that can only play on the tiny screen of a handheld game console?

atg · Post by **atg** » 2006-09-12 09:34pm

I couldn't really care about PSP/NDS or any other console fanwars, I just buy what appeals to me. As a NDS owner I get the same thing from PSP owners that you have described. I think it comes down to an inferiority complex from the NDS being more popular.

EDIT: "buy" not "by" dammit.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-09-12 09:39pm

Darth Wong wrote:I can't imagine any reason why people buy movies on PSP except to justify their purchase of the damned thing. What the fuck is the appeal of paying actual money for a movie format that can only play on the tiny screen of a handheld game console?

Not much, considering that sales of UMD movies have more or less completely bombed out and a lot of retailers have gotten rid of them.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 09:43pm

atg wrote:I couldn't really care about PSP/NDS or any other console fanwars, I just by what appeals to me. As a NDS owner I get the same thing from PSP owners that you have described. I think it comes down to an inferiority complex from the NDS being more popular.

That's the thing though: the NDS isn't that much more popular. There's only half a million or so units between them. I don't get it. If you want 3d fighting games, the PSP is the superior handheld. All the ranting about homebrew and harddrives and stupid movies on a 5" screen is irrelevant. I bought a DS for the games, in particular one game. I don't spend time on public transport or playing games at work, so why would I want to play crappy versions of PS2 games on a handheld WHEN I'M AT HOME? I've got a PS2 and a 88cm television for that, and DVDs too. I'm not the target market, so who cares if I didn't buy one?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-09-12 09:47pm

At least these people are only being slavish fanboys to defend a choice they made at the electronics store. It's much more obnoxious when they act like this about a choice they made at the voting booth.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 09:56pm

Interesting point - for people who think 'more fans = more right', this sort of conversion would be expected. After all, everyone who doesn't secretly want a PSP or authoritarian government makes their conviction a bit weaker.

But seriously, it's a damn handheld. Who cares? How is it worth hijacking a conversation to rant about it? I mean, my disinterest made me seem more reasonable, but it was embarrassing anyway.

Dendrobius · Post by **Dendrobius** » 2006-09-12 10:07pm

Well, just go to any hardware forums and watch the Nvidiots and the fanATIcs going at it hammer and tong...or Intel v AMD. Or PC v Mac. Or Thrustmaster v CH Products. The list just goes on. It's almost like tribal behaviour.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2006-09-12 10:30pm

DS seems to be a better game machine for Gameboy type games, for playing on the go and stuff. It's popular for that. I can see the appeal of just plain better games (most PSP games are dreck).

PSP meanwhile? It's great if you want to mess with it, but you've got to pour some money in it. I'm lucky, as I've a ridiculously cheap PSP with a big memory stick second-hand that I convert movies of my own choosing to watch on it, or use UMD images. You can also run emulators on the thing, so I mostly use my PSP to play all those SNES, NES and Genesis games I missed way back. 75 percent of my way through FF6 right now, and I'm gonna do Chronotrigger after.

Either seems to be handy for waiting on a train or something. The PSP requires more money though, but lets you do more than play the games meant for it.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 10:33pm

And that's cool! I hardly think you're going to launch into a fucking sales pitch at the nary SIGHT of my DS. In front of cute women, for fucks sake!

Although it's very Sony to try to stop something which actually helps sales of their handheld.

Ravencrow · Post by **Ravencrow** » 2006-09-12 10:36pm

I have both. I don't feel any different whether I'm playing a DS or a PSP in public.

The argument that PSP is a multimedia device while NDS is "just a handheld gaming device" is diminished when you realise you have to spend more money buying a bigger capacity memory card if you want to store a reasonable list of mp3's, and that UMD movies are expensive and where I am , rather hard to find.

With the amount of money one needs to spend to make the PSP a fully effective multimedia device, one might as well bring around a laptop.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2006-09-12 10:46pm

I've owned a PSP and DSL. The PSP was sold to get some money for my 7600gt. This was after owning it for months. I kept my DSL for less than a week before returning it.

My PSP game collection:

Lumines
SFA3 Double Upper
Maverick Hunter X
Wipeout Pure
Some stupid Ghost Recon game (got it for free though, huk)

I enjoyed every game except Ghost Recon, and used the thing for an MP3 and video player at least a few times each week. As an MP3 player the thing was quite functional, though I was always deathly afraid of dropping or hitting it with something. It held up, despite my worries.

My DSL games:

New SMB
Metroid Prime Hunters

I forced myself to play through most of NSMB, and it was boring as FUCK. The game felt so basic compared to Mario World it was pathetic. About the only real innovation was Mario saying "Goodbye" when you put the DS on sleep mode.

MPH looked like a mess and controlled like it. Touchscreen controls for that game suck, no matter the sensitivity settings. Already 75 bucks down the drain on games I did not find fun, I tried cutting my losses. I was able to return the DS for a full refund but Wal Mart refused to take back the games. Garbage.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 10:49pm

That doesn't have anything to do with the mindset that forces you to defend your x of choice while attacking that of others, does it?

Loner · Post by **Loner** » 2006-09-12 10:50pm

Besides, everyone knows the DS is better. *I'm a smarmy asshole*? LOL!

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 10:53pm

Well we certainly all know New Mario sucks balls, that's for sure. Lugging around a huge object to play music on challenges my understanding of pockets, however.

People must feel pretty strongly about this: I brought my DS with me due to an expected boring train ride, but it was a pretty full-on night. After meeting women, why would you launch into full-on nerd mode going on about consoles?

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2006-09-12 10:53pm

Stark wrote:That doesn't have anything to do with the mindset that forces you to defend your x of choice while attacking that of others, does it?

Well

Are PSPs just attractive to the loud insecure part of the population? I don't get this sort of thing for ignoring the 360 or owning a Gamecube, for instance, so why is the PSP/NDS rivallry so strong?

The first question was pretty much bullshit, and I think you knew that before posing it.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-09-12 10:55pm

Hamel wrote:<anger>

I'll give you $20 for NSMB. I already have MPH.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 10:56pm

Okay, follow me here. PSP guy demonstrates insecurity. I am surprised by this, and wonder if PSP owners are younger/'trendier' than others. With me now?

It's ironic that I started this thread about my surprise at the continuation of this behaviour, and now you're pretty much demonstrating it. Did I hurt your feelings by not liking PSPs? I even specifically mentioned that I own plenty of consoles, and nobody has ever taken me to task on my purchases like that since the days of Mega Drive.

atg · Post by **atg** » 2006-09-12 10:57pm

Stark wrote:That's the thing though: the NDS isn't that much more popular. There's only half a million or so units between them.

I think your mixing up units shipped(PSP) against units sold in retail(NDS) which works out to be about the ~500k. When comparing units sold the NDS is a few million ahead I believe.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-09-12 10:59pm

atg wrote:I think your mixing up units shipped(PSP) against units sold in retail(NDS) which works out to be about the ~500k. When comparing units sold the NDS is a few million ahead I believe.

Well there you go! My source was even Wikipedia, so I'm not surprised I'm not correct.

However, I know many people with PSPs, and absolutely nobody with an NDS.

atg · Post by **atg** » 2006-09-12 11:02pm

Well there you go! My source was even Wikipedia, so I'm not surprised I'm not correct. However, I know many people with PSPs, and absolutely nobody with an NDS.

I'm the other way round, I know many with NDSs and only a few with PSPs.